Georgia Municipal Workforce Needs Assessment Report

February 7, 2022

As part of GMA's and Georgia City Solutions' "Jobs With Purpose: Municipal Workforce Development Initiative," the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia conducted a needs assessment during the second of half of 2021.

This assessment was done to gain a better understanding of the current municipal employment landscape in preparation for GMA's Municipal Workforce Advisory Council to begin its work to create a municipal workforce development strategy to close identified gaps and develop a strong talent pipeline.

The needs assessment produced nine key takeaways that will serve as a starting point for the Advisory Council’s strategy development efforts. They are the following:

  1. Georgia cities face challenges attracting applicants.
  2. The level of difficulty for attracting and retaining employees varies significantly by function and size.
  3. Half of Georgia municipalities have a skill shortage or anticipate one in the next 12-24 months.
  4. Traditional recruitment strategies reign supreme in municipal government.
  5. Common reasons for leaving include career changes, compensation, opportunities with other public sector employer, retirement, and opportunities with private sector employers.
  6. Municipal workers are slightly older than the Georgia average, but have a much lower turnover rate.
  7. Pay is a top challenge in Georgia’s cities while other benefits are very competitive with other employers.
  8. Few municipalities employ flexible work options.
  9. Most municipalities do not have succession plans or workforce plans in place.

 

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